The Black Rose
by What About Scout
Summary: Leo works for the CIA, and is investigating the murder of Piper's fiancé, but it puts them both in more danger than she thought--in more than one way.
1. Body in the Alley

**Ooh, another story! This one has Dan in it, but never fear, he won't stay long--not long at all. It's almost depressing. Yet another Piper/Leo story of mine...The reason I'm posting it is that I can go two ways with it, and I need to know which way. I'll explain later.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own the plot! Woo hoo! And Mark Turner! 2 Points for me! I own Jake, too, so that's 3 points! I also own any characters that you don't recognize. I don't own Charmed or the Halliwells or Dan or Leo, or anything that belongs to Charmed (obviously).**

**The name of the story will play out in time. You'll see...Anyway, R&R!**

* * *

_**The Black Rose**_

* * *

Piper and Prue walked side-by-side under the bridge. It was dark under there, and they were taking their time on their way home, but they hurried through the dark tunnel anyway. It was a warm summer night and they had decided to take a walk, since Phoebe was out on a date and the house was boring as ever.

"I wonder where Phoebe is," Prue asked, mainly talking to herself, as she and her sister walked through the tunnel.

Piper linked her arm with Prue's. "She's probably back at the house."

"Alone?"

"Who knows..."

They both laughed, then Piper froze. They were almost out of the tunnel, and the moonlight had allowed her eyes to see something lying off to the side of the tunnel, near the wall on the right.

"What?"

"Prue, there's something over there," Piper whispered, still frozen in place.

"Where?" Prue squinted to try to see what Piper was seeing..

"There," Piper said, pointing a shaky finger toward the dark mass. She took a step back, taking Prue with her. "Right there."

Prue let go of her sister's arm and took a step forward. She took another step and, cautiously, stuck her foot out. She pushed the mass with the toe of her shoe and it flopped over, revealing a man lying on his back.

Prue gasped and jumped back. Piper shielded her eyes.

"Oh my God..." Prue groaned.

"We have to call the police!"

"No, Piper...That's Dan," Prue whispered.

"What?" Piper ran up to Prue. She took one glance at the body and tears burned behind her eyes. "No, that can't be--because Dan was--he was supposed to be at work!"

"Piper..."

Piper shook her head as a tear broke through and ran down her cheek. Prue hugged her and walked her out of the tunnel. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

"Emergency," the operator said after two rings.

"We just found a body under the Chestnut Bridge, in the tunnel below it."

"Can you identify the body?"

"His name's Dan Gordon. He's my sister's fiancé."

"Okay, we're sending officers over immediately."

Prue hung up the cell phone. She looked at Piper, who was sitting on a bench crying. Prue walked over and hugged her sister.

A moment later, two police cars arrived. Prue showed them where Dan's body was. Piper hadn't moved from the bench.

* * *

When Phoebe looked up, she was surprised to see the lights of a police car on the street in front of her house. She walked outside as a police officer got out of the car. Prue and Piper got out from the back door and walked up the sidewalk together. 

"What kind of trouble did you guys get into?" Phoebe asked her sisters. "I swear, I go on _one_ date, and--" She stopped short when she noticed Piper crying. "What's wrong?" she asked the middle Halliwell.

Piper walked past Phoebe and into the house. Prue stayed back.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

"We found Dan's body under the Chestnut Bridge. In the tunnel."

"Oh my God," Phoebe gasped. "What happened?"

"Miss, we've got investigators on it already, and the scene has been taped off. Everything is under control," the officer informed Phoebe.

Phoebe barely nodded.

"We'll send an investigator over tomorrow and keep you updated."

"Okay."

The officer left and Prue and Phoebe walked inside together. They found Piper crying on her bed in her room. They sat down on the bed on either side of their sister.

"Piper..."

* * *

"Got a case for me, huh?" a man asked as he walked into his boss' office. 

Mark Turner looked up at his most favored employee. "Actually, yeah. Remember Dan Gordon?" he asked, handing the man a manila folder full of papers.

"Actually, I do. Quite well."

"Good. He's dead."

"What?"

"He was shot in the tunnel under the Chestnut Bridge. A couple of sisters found him..." Turner waited for the man to respond.

"'Bout time someone--"

"Listen, we're giving you the case, but you have to keep it to business. This isn't personal."

"The hell it isn't. The bastard--"

"Shot you. We know. But now he's dead, and you have to find out who he pissed off."

"I'll contact his family..."

"Already done. Everything's been laid out for you. You have to work with what we have--"

"Which is everything."

Turner chuckled. "Yes, it is."

"So when do I get on it?"

"Tomorrow morning, I'll send you to the fiancé's house. She and her sister found the body."

"Fiancé, huh? He managed to make a life, then, didn't he?"

"A little. He kept his private life secret from her, I assume."

"The first smart move he'd ever make."

"And the last. This woman's pretty broken up, too. You have to play the Good Cop, okay?"

"What about Jake?"

"Your brother's not going to be with you on this one. He's swamped with his own cases already."

"Okay. Solo it is..."

* * *

The doorbell rang the next morning at ten o'clock. Piper heard it first, and opened the door. Her eyes widened at the sight before her eyes. She had to catch her breath for a second. 

The man standing in front of her caught her off guard. His blue-green eyes and dark blonde hair seemed almost familiar. He was wearing a black suit and was already reaching inside of it.

"Piper Halliwell?"

Piper nodded a little.

The man took out his wallet and flipped it open, showing her a badge. "Leo Wyatt. I'm with the United States Central Intelligence Agency," he informed her.

Piper looked at the badge. It looked authentic. Beside the badge was "CIA Special Agent Wyatt, Leo", then a picture of him. Below that was his signature. She looked up and glared at him.

* * *

**See? Dan didn't even last through Chapter 1! Ha ha!  
I almost feel bad about killing him, but he needs to die in order for this story to continue at all.**

**Okay, now it's up to you guys. Here's my question:**

**Do I give Piper and Leo a history, or do I start fresh with them?**

**I can write the story either way. Both of them would be fun to write. Whatever I get the most of I'll go with. Like if more people tell me to give them a past together then that's what I'll do. If it's vice versa, then I'll write it vice versa.**

**It's up to you guys. Review and tell me.**


	2. The Explanation

Okay, guys…History won 8-7, so history it is! Close call!

You've all made it pretty clear that you guys hate Dan as much as me, and for that I must thank you all…

THANK YOU!!!!!

But not everyone feels that way! Can you believe it? I was at the WB web site ) and I read that some people actually _favor_ DAN over LEO! Insane…What is this world coming to???

I just wanna say that I don't want to make Dan out to be the bad guy (as much as I want to, lol). Actually, Piper really _did_ love him…What has happened to me? Either way, Dan's dead now! Muahahahahahaha!

DISCLAIMER: This is a disclaimer to end all disclaimers. Do they expect us to say that we don't own Charmed on every chapter? ARE THEY JUST _TRYING_ TO HUMILIATE US? We know we don't own Charmed! If I didn't own in in Chapter 1, do you think I'd own it in Chapter _2_? No! So _obviously, _I'm not gonna own it in Chapter 3 or 4 or 5 or 6! I'm _never_ going to own _any_ of it! None of the chapters--ever! So _BACK_ _OFF!_

* * *

charmedmel32: My first reviewer for this story! Be proud! I'm glad you're glad Dan is dead...It wasn't that mean. Actually, it was quite nice of me to kill him off! Save us all the hurt of staying in the story! 

physcokitty3: I agree, there are a lot of fics with them having a history, and I've seen a lot without them having a history.

winter blaze: Hey, could you give me the link to your story? I couldn't find it.

thegreencow: Hmm...Interesting name you have there, lol. Ooh...tough-guy Leo...I'll seriously consider it. Trust me, he's no softie. He's with the CIA, remember? But he's gotta have a soft side in order to make this a good P/L story...

Charmed-Phoebe03: Thank you, I like the way I think, too!

Pink Volleyballs: Thanks for the input!

scullymulder: I think I'll take that as "give them a history" okay? I like making people cry in my stories. (Evil, ain't I?)

PiPeRAnGeL39: Yeah, I don't want a history for them to be all too dramatic, but then, with a history, I definitely want them to hate each other...Actually, Piper just glared at him because she was pissed because her fiancé was murdered. She has the right to be angry. Glad you like my writing! Oh, and I was at the web site for the WB, and on one of the chats there, I read that a LOT of people love Dan--over Leo!!! How insane?!?!?!?!?

Magical Princess: Ooh, actually, a history would slow it down, the way I would write it...I'm evil like that.

kk241289: I needed to get Dan out of the way. I don't mind writing him in...but I don't like to. Sometimes I need him in the story to play the bad guy, but now he's the dead guy. (That's about as much as he's good for--the bad/dead guy.) Actually, I don't want to make him out to be the bad guy in the story, because Piper really did love him, but now Leo's here, so move over, Dan!

piperleo4eva: No, I don't feel weird about killing him, but it was slightly depressing that he didn't make it to Chapter 2!

sadie: History, huh? I gotta say, I'm agreeing, though starting fresh would be fun...You know, I had a dog named Sadie once...She died on April Fool's Day two years ago...Anyway... ;-)

Charmboy4: Oh, trust me, when I get them together, Leo will be in some serious trouble...Dan has a very bad past. I kind of hinted to it a little tiny bit, but it'll be explained, don't worry.

leosldy: Start fresh, eh?

True Star: Thanks. Lol, my friend told me it meant "Criminal Investigations Associations" and I believed her, but then I decided to look it up to be sure. I googled it.

CF12: Well, well, well, look who it is. Cop stories? Oh, I love cops. I wanted to be one, but I changed my mind when I remembered how painful a paintball gun can be, let alone a P .40...

OTHCharmedFreak: Well, technically, I could write it with a history (ha! and I did!), because even though Piper acted like she didn't know Leo, that doesn't mean she REALLY didn't...And anything's possible, especially with me...

charmedsister: Funny, very funny. Sorry, though, no love at first sight for this fic.

classicchic: Past it is! That was what I wanted, too.

Whew! This chapter starts up right where Chapter 1 left off…

* * *

"What do you want?" Piper asked, still glaring. 

"I need to talk to you about Dan Gordon."

"Leo…"

"Don't, Piper."

"Don't what, Leo? They send _you_ of all people to investigate--I--I don't understand…"

"Good, then don't."

"Leo, please."

"I'm just here do you my job."

"And what might that be? What happened to you?"

"We can reminisce another time, maybe. This is not social."

Piper snorted. "Lord knows that. You don't do social anymore. Where have you been for two years, huh?"

Leo sighed. "That doesn't matter. I need to ask you some questions about Dan."

Piper was quiet for a few seconds. "No."

"No," Leo echoed.

"No. I'm not sharing my private life with Dan with you, of all people. That badge doesn't mean a thing. It never came between us before."

"This badge means that if you don't answer my questions, I can arrest you for hiding evidence or obscuring justice."

Piper was silent again. She certainly didn't think Leo would arrest her, but she didn't want to take any chances.But what would they want with Dan?

"And just for your information," Leo added, "you know nothing about your fiancé's private life."

"How did you know he--What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'll explain later. Mind if I come in?" Leo asked, though he was already inside and past Piper, making his way into the living room. Piper turned to face him and closed the door with one hand. "Manor hasn't changed, has it?" Leo said, walking toward the living room, then toward the stairs.

"What do you want to know?" Piper asked coldly.

"How long were you two dating?" he asked, his back to her.

"Two years."

Leo turned around to face Piper. They stared each other down for a few seconds. "Two years, huh?" Leo finally said. "So you started dating him when--right after we broke up?"

Piper nodded. "As a matter of fact, I did."

"Hmm…When did he propose?"

"Three months ago."

"What did he tell you he did for a living?"

"What does that--" Piper sighed. "He was an architect."

Leo chuckled. "Oh, really?"

"Yes," Piper said through clenched teeth.

"And how long did he say he worked as an architect?"

"Ten years."

Leo laughed out loud this time.

"Nothing about this is funny, Leo."

Leo cleared his throat, but didn't apologize. "So where're your sisters?"

"They don't have anything to do with Dan."

"Says who--You?"

"What are you doing here? Why is _Dan_ your case?" Piper demanded, stepping forward and grabbing Leo's arm to turn him around to face her.

"He's been my case for about seven years now."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Leo sighed. "I'll explain if you come down to my office tomorrow at ten…Oh, and In case you don't remember where it is--" He pulled out a business card and handed it to a stunned Piper. "And tell Prue and Phoebe I said hello." He left, closing the door behind him.

Piper gnawed on her lower lip. It was better than crying. She looked down at the business card Leo had given her.

Leo Wyatt, CIA Special Agent

Office - 1832 Lily Street

Phone - (409)-555-0518

Piper stuffed the card into her pocket and climbed the stairs up to her room. She lay down on her bed and cried. She'd started crying even before her head had hit the pillow. Why was everything so wrong?

Why was Dan dead?

Why was _Leo_ back?

Piper sobbed. She thought about her past. It all went well for a long time. It was all good. Then Leo came into her life, and everything was great. The only downside to their relationship was that Leo had been part of the CIA for three years already. She managed to share him with her job, though, and Leo's high-priority job didn't stop her from loving him.

They were together for three years.

And then it all went to hell.

She didn't quite remember why they broke up…Little things, she supposed. As he was part of the CIA longer, his job became more demanding. Later hours. Harder cases. He was flying back and forth across the country; from Seattle to Washington, D.C. to New York and back to Seattle. His offices sent him out of the country as well. Just after their second anniversary, Leo was sent to Sweden. Then Mexico, then Paris, France. They sent him to Beijing a couple of times, too.

The more demanding his job was, less he was home. And the less he was home, the more she wanted him. But it soon got to be too much to handle. Whenever he was home, they fought. She wanted him home more. He tried, but couldn't get time off of his job.

So two years ago, they broke up. She'd been living with him for a year, and she'd left in the middle of the night. She remembered it perfectly, too…Leo had two weeks off and they'd spent half of it fighting. They worked through a lot of things the night before he had to leave. She remembered waking up at three o'clock in the morning, knowing she had to leave…

Piper's eyes fluttered open, but she couldn't see much. In the dark, she did see objects--a desk, a lamp on top of that, a dresser, a door cracked open. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She glanced at the digital clock on the table beside the bed.

3:30 a.m.

There was something hanging off of the lamp…She squinted again. It was her bra. Her hand flew to her chest. Her shirt was gone. She moved her hand to her thigh.

She was naked.

Piper rolled over to meet another body.

Oh, yeah.

She looked at the sleeping face beside her for a moment. She traced his face with her hand. Just last night they were fighting. But then everything seemed to change. They fixed so many problems that night.

Piper shivered and pulled the blanket up closer to her body.

She looked back up at Leo's face. She knew that even though they worked through so much, even though they fixed so many things…It wasn't enough. He would leave later this morning and then he would come back after long weeks.

Then they would fight.

Then they would fight some more.

It was just too tiring. True, they had figured out a lot of things the night before but those problems would just come flying back as soon as Leo came back home. They would start fighting again.

Piper had had enough of it. Leo had turned her life around and helped her in so many ways. He taught her to believe in love again and reminded her that there was still some good in the world when she was surrounded by the badness.

But in their three years together, he never taught her how to deal with their situation. Neither of them knew what to do.

But now Piper knew. She had the answer. She had the key.

She had to leave.

She looked up at Leo's face once more. With one hand on his cheek, she pulled her self up and kissed him softly, begging him not to wake up.

Very carefully, she got out of the bed, laying the blanket down with care. She gathered her clothes and got dressed as quietly as she could. With one more sad glance at Leo, she left.

Piper sobbed. She couldn't imagine what Leo had thought when he woke up and she wasn't there. She knew he would have searched for her if he could, but he had to leave.

They separated for the last time without even saying goodbye…

It was the hardest thing Piper had ever done, going to Leo's house and collecting her things…He wasn't there, and that did help a lot, but it was still so hard. She had left the key to his house on the counter in the kitchen. She couldn't imagine what he had done or thought when he came home to see that…

They had talked very few times over the next couple of weeks.

Piper had found out exactly what she had assumed--Leo hadn't expected her to be there when he got back. In fact, she found that he hadn't even expected her to be there in the morning.

After that they went their own separate ways. Piper met Dan and tried to piece her life back together, deciding never to get involved with someone with a demanding job. Or anybody named Leo Wyatt, for that matter…

Piper looked down at the business card. She had to go in.

She had a sudden thought. _Why am I crying over Leo? That was two years ago! I'm crying over my old boyfriend, when my _fiancé _is _dead_! Idiot! Cry over Dan! Forget Leo! Just go in and answer his questions! Let him get through the case and then he's gone! _she though to herself. _Go cry over your dead fiancé, not your ex!_

* * *

The next morning at 10:00 a.m., Piper was sitting in a chair on the other side of Leo's desk. They had been sitting in silence for a moment or two. 

"If you wanted me down here, then you have to have had a reason," Piper said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I did." Leo looked up at Piper. "Off the record…I never thought I'd see you again…and I'd never actually hoped for it, either."

"Well, what to you know? We finally agree on something. That only took two years and a dead man to figure out, too! New record!"

"You know, I found your leather jacket downstairs."

"Downstairs?"

"Yes, I found it a couple weeks ago."

"It took you two years to find my leather jacket? I asked for it the day after you came back." Piper closed her eyes, realizing the stupidity of their conversation. She decided to keep quiet.

Leo smiled a little. "I can buy you another, if it means so much to you."

"I don't want anything from you…Can they transfer my case to someone else?"

"No. "

"Why?"

"Because Dan has been my case for years. Actually, I got his case a year before we even met."

"Six years? What case?"

Leo sighed. "Dan wasn't who he said he was."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that he was a con artist. A fraud. He was in trouble with some big gangs in Chicago and New York. That's why he moved to San Francisco. Then he got in trouble with the gangs here."

"What?"

"I'll explain--"

"Now."

Leo sighed. "Stubborn, still, I see."

"Just give me the facts."

"Piper…"

"I'm a client, right? How about you just call me Miss Halliwell?"

"Piper…"

"Explain, Leo," Piper said coldly. "I deserve to know."

"…About a year after I entered the CIA, Dan started…experimenting."

"With…"

"With drugs and guns, basically. He got to like 'em, too. So he spent more time with them. He hung out with small gangs for a while, then he moved up. The gangs figured if he was just gonna follow them around, they might as well make him useful…So they made him a messenger."

"…Messenger…?"

"They sent him back and forth between gangs to pick things up, deliver messages. He got to be a pretty good messenger, too."

Piper was silent.

"But he wanted more. He started asking for more. The gangs paid him in drugs usually and gave him a gun, but he wanted more than that. He started demanding money. When the gangs refused but then sent him out on a run, he would take whatever he had straight home. If he had information, he would forget it. He started collecting what the gangs were giving him."

"…What were they giving him?" Piper asked.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why?"

"It's confidential."

"He was my fiancé."

"I know, and it's my job--my life--on the line if I tell you."

They were locked in a stare down. Piper looked away from Leo. Tears welled up in her eyes. Leo either didn't notice or didn't care, but he made no move to help her. He stared at her for a few seconds.

"It's strange…" Leo said quietly after a break of silence, during which he had been watching her fight tears.

"What is?" Piper retorted. "The sight of me crying? You've never seen me cry Leo?" Piper asked, knowing it wasn't true; she'd cried and bawled her eyes out in front of him many times.

"No…What's strange is not feeling obligated to go over there and hold you, or comfort you."

There was another stretch of silence. Some tears slipped down Piper's cheeks as she stared at the wall, determined not to look at Leo.

"Piper…" Leo reached a hand out over his desk to her.

"Don't."

"Piper," Leo said quietly.

Piper slowly turned her head to look at him. She looked down at his hand and, after a few seconds, took it. "I'm sorry, but I…"

"I know. I know how to deal with this kind of stuff, but you don't, I know…"

Piper nodded a little.

"Now…" Leo let Piper's hand go and leaned back in his chair. "When the gangs found out what Dan was doing, they decided to do something about him. They tried to kill him, and he came to us…That was a year before we met," Leo explained.

Piper nodded a little, showing him she was listening. "So you were in New York."

"Right. I got his case and kept an eye on him, kept him out of trouble. But he told me some of the information he had, and we knew that keeping him out of trouble just wasn't enough. We relocated him."

"To San Francisco…?"

"No, Los Angeles."

"Oh…"

"They relocated me when they moved him, too, though, so I could keep an eye on him. During the three years that we were together, I was protecting him. But everywhere we relocated him, he got involved with the gangs. We had to keep moving him, and we even had to keep him in our custody for a while.

"Some of the times when I was out of the country, it was because I was trying to persuade the connections of gangs he had pissed off not to kill him. See, the mobs in New York and Los Angeles and San Francisco had connections south of the border, Europe, Asia--You name it, they had it. The information and supplies he was stowing belonged to those mobs, especially in Europe and Hong Kong.

"So I had to persuade them not to kill him. Truth was, I didn't give a damn."

Piper went cold and she glared at Leo.

"Look, Piper, I had no idea you were engaged to him."

"You work for the CIA, you know everything there is to know about the behind the scenes of this country--you know the secret behind _crop circles_--and you didn't know that we were engaged?" Piper replied quietly.

"I let him make a life. I didn't trust him, but I let him have _some_ privacy. He kept you hidden from us like we kept him hidden from the mafia…But I guess someone caught up with him and didn't like him…Took them almost eight years to get him."

Piper shook her head. "This isn't…This isn't happening. This can't even be real. There's no way…"

"It's real, Piper. I wish it were different, but…"

"No you don't, Leo. Don't use the fake sympathy they taught you on me. You know better than that--and if you don't, you should. You're just doing your job, aren't you? This is just another paycheck for you, isn't it?"

"Piper…"

"Don't, Leo. Don't do this. Don't come into my life after two years and tell me Dan--_my Dan_--is dead and someone in the _mafia_ killed him! I--I can't handle this! It's just…You were gone for two years then you come in and tell me this, I--"

"What? Hold on--_You're_ the one who left, not me."

"You pushed me away, Leo! It was inevitable. What else could I do? We were just going to keep fighting anyway and it would get harder!" Piper stopped herself and settled down. "Never mind...Now is not the time to fight over why we broke up..." she mumbled.

Leo nodded. "Very well."

* * *

Piper had left later with Leo saying he would keep her posted. He had to find out who killed Dan. They knew why--Dan was an idiot and he screwed up--but they didn't know who he screwed over. 

Piper opened her front door and Prue and Phoebe were there.

"Where've you been?"

"At Leo's office."

"What? Leo? Why?"

Piper sighed. "Dan's…murder…is his case."

"Case? Oh, right, Leo's with the CIA…Wait, Dan's _case_? What'd Dan do? Why can't they just get a detective to investigate."

"Because Dan was…involved with gangs…and he had to be relocated…and he had to be protected from the mafia and from gangs in San Francisco and New York…"

"What?"

Piper didn't say another word. She dragged her beaten and broken body upstairs and into her bedroom. She fell asleep immediately.

* * *

**Hey, did you guys notice what I did? I named the street Leo worked on Lily Street...Aw...  
So...Now you all know what Dan did...Stupid bastard... :-) lol**

**Ah, Piper and Leo...Poor things...I'm thinking I'm going to put them through some emotional pain...I'm evil, aren't I? Oh, well...All I've given so far are Piper's feelings...I think I'll have Leo's thoughts and regrets next. Expect a coldhearted bastard. j/k...we'll see what he's like. I'm not sure yet myself!**

**Sorry, guys, if anyone's angry that they have a history. I promise it'll be good...Unless you don't like it...But I think you will. I hope you all will love it!**

**Don't forget to leave a review! I love 'em!**


	3. Bothering Brother

**Sorry about the delay...I had half of the chapter written but I couldn't come up with the last half!**

**Thanks to:**

**charmedmel32: **You're the first reviewer for this chapter, too!

**patricia: **Dan is an ass, isn't he? I was looking up some Charmed stuff on the WB site and it's true, people seem to have sick enough minds to prefer Dan over Leo. A few people were even like, "Dan is so hot, and Leo is ugly. He's stupid, Piper should have stayed with Dan." I was like..."Oh...my...God..." I screamed and my mom came running in like, "What's wrong?" It was actually kinda funny...

**kk214289: **It will come out even nicer in the end.

**sexyirishBeep: **Love your name! Most of my friends are Irish, so I'm the only Redneck Cuban over here... ;-) Anyway, I have to make them go through some bad stuff in order to get to the good stuff. I can't just but them in the same room together and have them jump each other - lol - It just wouldn't be right...Don't worry about it, I'll get them together...

**meenyrocks: **I know! I protect stupid people all the time! I call them my friends. Yes, it is true, some people love Dan...It's horrifying, I know...Hmm...Did I spell that right...?

**scullymulder1234: **You are random...and bored, lol. And look! I updated again liked you told me to!

**Charmboy4: **I can understand not wanting to sign in...Hmm, yeah, I can figure out what your sayin', and I was actually already thinking about it. Oh, and they don't REALLY hate each other...Remember, this is a P&L fic, how can they hate each other? Okay, so they do hate each other...Well...You'll see, won't you?

**LeoPiper-Forever: **Oh, well, I'm good at twists.

**Piper-Girl: **I love a history, too! I think it's perfect for them...It kind of backs up my story Always, ya know? With the...With the history? ...Get it? Huh? Yeah? No...?

**swimmer07: 1--**I know, Dan was doomed from the start... shakes head  
**2--**Did I update soon?

* * *

Piper came downstairs the next morning to find her sisters downstairs in the living room. They were talking to somebody…Leo. 

What was he doing there?

Piper cleared her throat. Prue and Phoebe jumped and turned around.

"Piper…" Prue started.

"Save it." Piper turned and went back upstairs.

Prue and Phoebe looked at each other. "What do we do?" Phoebe asked no one in particular.

"You guys follow her up. I have some things to check up on." Leo stood up.

"Okay. Thanks." Prue and Phoebe ran upstairs after their sister.

"I'll just…let myself out then…" Leo said to himself. He walked outside, closing the door behind him. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number.

The phone rang four times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a voice answered groggily.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I finally get a peaceful moment at home with my family, and _you_ have to call…" The voice sounded slightly irritated. Leo heard some shuffling and a sleepy woman's voice asking what was wrong.

"Is that Maria?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. Who else would it be?"

"Jeez, sorry. I wasn't implying you were having an affair or anything…Tell her I said hi."

"She's falling asleep. You woke her up. What do you want?"

"Jake, I know Turner gave the case to me, but I think I'm going to need some help with the Gordon Case," Leo told his younger brother.

"What?"

Leo was about to speak when he heard a little girl's voice in the background. "Why is Emma awake?"

"How should I know? Hold on…"

Leo heard his brother put the phone down as he went to see what his five-year-old daughter Emma was fussing about. He heard Jake's wife Maria in the background. Jake finally came back to the phone.

"What was wrong?"

"Nothing, she just woke up, is all."

For a fleeting moment Leo envied his brother. Jacob was five years younger than his thirty-year-old brother and already had a five-year-old daughter and a wife. Five years ago, around when Emma was born, he hadn't envied him. He'd had Piper. When he'd had her, he had everything he ever dreamed of. But then three years later…

"Oh."

"So what do you need?"

"I need you to keep tabs on the gangs Gordon was involved in. Just make sure they're not planning anything big. In your spare time."

"Right. Spare time."

"If you can't, it's fine. We're both swamped, I know…"

"No, it's okay…Can you come over and watch Emma for a couple hours?"

"Sure."

* * *

As soon as Leo opened the front door, five-year-old Emma ran to him and jumped up into his arms. 

"Uncle Leo! Uncle Leo!"

Uncle Leo…He'd gotten used to that.

"Hey, Sweetie."

Little Emma hugged Leo's neck and when she pulled away he was still holding her in his arms. She was getting bigger and growing, but she was still so easy to hold.

"Are you coming ova to watch me while Mommy and Daddy go to work?"

"Yes, I am."

"Yay!"

Leo smiled.

Jake and Maria came into the room. "Hi, Leo," Maria greeted, smiling.

"Maria."

"Listen, thanks for watching Emma for us. When do you need to leave?"

"Uh, around three."

"Okay, I'll be back by then."

"Okay."

Maria kissed Emma's forehead and left. Jake kissed the little girl's cheek and ruffled her hair.

"Jake, thought you might like to know," Leo started.

"What?"

"That Gordon case?"

"Yeah?"

"Dan was uh…He was Piper's fiancé."

Jake stopped in his tracks. "Piper? Piper Halliwell? Your Piper?"

"She's not my Piper. We broke up two years ago."

"Yeah, but you still love her."

"No I don't."

"Ah, whatever. So she was involved with Gordon's…work?"

"No…She had no idea."

"How do you know she wasn't lying?"

"Because I am a human polygraph test," Leo answered sarcastically. "Oh, and because we were together for three years."

"But that was before she was involved with a criminal."

"She had no idea what he was doing. Trust me."

"Interesting. Very interesting…So let me get this straight…You and Piper broke up, then Dan shot you…No, wait. That's not right…Dan got into his business, then you and Piper got together. Dan shot you, and after that you two broke up. After _that_, Piper hooked up with Dan and got _engaged_ to him. Then Dan got killed…Hmm…"

"Thanks. You are such a wonderful, helping brother. Glad I can come to you in times of distress."

"I'm glad, too. Explain it all to me later."

"Yeah, whatever…"

Jake ruffled Emma's hair. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Daddy!" Emma said.

Jake left, and Leo and Emma heard the front door close.

"What now?" Emma asked.

Leo shifted her in his arms. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"No."

"No? Mommy and Daddy didn't give you breakfast?"

Emma shook her head. "Dey said you would."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, then, what do you want?"

"Um…" Emma brightened. "Pancakes!"

"Pancakes?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, then. Let's break out the Betty Crocker books and learn how to make pancakes," Leo told the little girl.

"You don't know how to make pancakes?"

"Of course I do."

"Whatever. I don't believe you."

"No?"

"No."

"Oh, and you can."

"Of course!"

"Well, then…We'll just see who's the better cook. Come on."

* * *

"Piper, look, we're sorry, but Leo had some questions, and he didn't think you would be able to answer…" Prue apologized through Piper's door. The middle sister had locked herself in her room and wasn't letting her sisters in. 

"What the hell kind of questions could you answer that I couldn't?" Piper yelled.

"He didn't…" Phoebe started over. "He thought we might be able to answer a little…less emotionally."

"Oh, so he's afraid of a little emotion now?"

"No! Piper, he didn't want to see you crying."

"Why?"

"Because…"

Piper's door flung open, and there she stood, her eyes red and tears making their way down her cheeks. "Why?" she demanded.

"Because he would know that it was his fault you were crying. That's what he said. He didn't want to make you cry."

"You're lying."

"No, we're not. Don't you remember Leo?"

"Yes, he's a coldhearted bastard now. It's all business to him."

"No, no, it's not…Just remember how it used to be with you guys…Remember what it was like when something bad happened?" Phoebe took Piper's shoulders.

"Phoebe, this isn't going anywhere…"

"Yes, it is. Just listen."

Piper looked at her younger sister. "What?"

"When you two were together and something bad happened, he comforted you, remember?"

Piper nodded a little.

"Well after two years…You didn't see each other for two years, Piper. After that long, he wasn't sure how to act around you. He wasn't sure how to act when you cried…" Phoebe explained. "So he came to us to ask questions. He was just doing his job," she said.

"Right…Just doing his job."

* * *

**I know...Okay, I think I said that I would explore Leo's thoughts more in this chapter...I meant to...But it turned out differently. I'll give it another shot in the next chapter.**

**Review and let me know what you think.**


	4. Funeral

**Hey, people, sorry about the delay. I only had like half of this chapter, so I added the other half and decided to post it right away. Seriously, I just finished it like ten minutes ago. This isn't my longest chapter ever, but it's not the shortest. I'm working on these three other fics a lot. I'm going to finish them and post them, without too many delays because they'll be finished! Also, I'm going to work the black rose into the story real soon...**

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charmedmel32: And the winner is...YOU! THE FIRST REVIEWER! You're on a streak!**

**scullymulder1234: Yay! I updated! Wow, you seemed hyper. Glad I don't bore you, lol.**

**True Star: I'm like a train. I keep on comin' and I keep on goin'...chugga chugga choo choo! woo woo!**

**Magical Princess: Thanks for the idea on the chapter's name...I still can't think of anything, though...I wanted to name it Emma, for Jake's daughter, but it wans't like the chapter revolved around her or anything...**

**kk241289: Yes, I have lots of tricks...Some are good, some are stupid...And let's face it, some are just plain crappy. But most are good. Like the one you mentioned. You've got some good tricks, too, you know...**

**syadyniar: Did you wait for more? lol**

**Charmboy4: Emma? Emma is Leo's neice. She probably knows Leo loves Piper, yeah. She remembers Piper.**

**Leo+Piper-Forever: Poor Leo? Poor Leo why? He's not poor! He's part of the friggin' CIA! He's rich! lol**

**meenyrocks: Oh, okay, I spelled it right. Oh, yeah, Piper knew Dan shot Leo. Well, she knew Leo got shot. She didn't know it was Dan. I think I put something about it in this chapter. Thanks for the ideas, but I still can't think of a name!**

**patricia: Yeah, I'm still stuck on that whole "People Like Dan More Than Leo" thing, too.**

**Nakita: 2What? Lily Street! It's Lily! 'Cause she's not in this story, and I've always kinda liked her, even though we've only seen one picture of her...I've got my own image of her and her personality...And you know, Leo WAS married to her, so I figured it was only right. (That, and I couldn't think of anything else!)**

**piper+leo4eva: "Update Soon" is on like every single review on this entire site! lol! We need to come up with something better! We're writers! We're supposed to be creative!**

**Chub: Thanks, I like them having a past, too. Adds for drama...**_

* * *

_

Piper—"

_"No, Leo! Don't 'Piper' me! You say you have a case in L.A.—Okay! You call from the city to tell me you'll be there a couple of weeks—Okay! You don't call for five days—Not okay! I get a call from the Los Angeles Memorial Hospital telling me you were in the Emergency Room after going to the _OR _at the _Trauma Center_ for being _shot_ by a man I can't even know the _name_ of? _Not okay, Leo_! That is—I don't know what the hell it is, but—" _

"Piper, it's okay. I'm okay."

"No you're not! You just got out of the hospital yesterday!"

"Which obviously means I'm fine if they let me out."

"You shouldn't have been in there in the first place!"

"What do you want me to do, Piper? Rewind time for you? You want me to quit my job, is that it?"

"No, I just don't want to have to worry about your life every time you leave the house!"

"You think you're the only one who worries? It's my_ life! I worry too!" _

"Well it sure as hell doesn't look like you do!"

"Should I be afraid when I go to work, then? Excuse me for having a positive attitude in my job! Maybe I should change to suit you! Maybe I should be afraid of my job, because you obviously want me to!"

"I'm not asking you to do that, Leo!"

"Then what are you asking of me?"

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Just don't—…Don't get killed," Piper whispered. "Please."

Leo's features softened. "…What?"

"Just don't get killed!" Piper cried, falling into Leo's arms. He winced slightly from the bullet wound, but wrapped his arms around her.

Piper woke with a start, flying forward in her bed. She immediately reached beside her for a sleeping body, but only found air. She sobbed aloud.

This was all too confusing.

Why was she crying about her ex-boyfriend and having dreams about her ex-boyfriend when she should be mourning her ex-fiancé?

Prue and Phoebe burst into the room. Piper jumped a mile. "What happened?"

"Huh?"

"We heard you scream."

"…Scream?" Piper asked quietly. She didn't remember screaming.

"Yeah…" Prue and Phoebe walked up to Piper's bed and sat beside her.

"Uh…I, don't…" Piper shook her head. She sniffled.

"Piper, try to get some sleep. This is the third time you've woken up screaming tonight. You're going to be too tired for the funeral."

"…Funeral?"

"Yeah. A few of Dan's friends, about twenty of them. And us…"

Piper shook her head. "I never even thought about—No one told me…"

"We thought it would be too hard, considering the circumstances. So we planned it for you."

Piper nodded. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"…What time is it at?"

"Noon."

Piper nodded. Her sisters tucked her in and made sure she was asleep before leaving for their own rooms.

* * *

Piper stood with her head down as she listened to the priest speak. When she looked up, her eye caught Leo, standing away from the other people. She started to look away but her eyes went back to him.

Why is he here? she wondered. _He has no business here._

? she wondered. 

Prue rubbed Piper's back soothingly when they lowered Dan's casket into the ground. They stayed a little while longer, after the other people left. It was twenty minutes before Leo even walked up to them.

"Piper…"

Piper looked up, her eyes red from crying. She gazed at Leo and all she wanted to do was crawl into his arms, a place she'd always felt safe in before. But it was too weird now. It was too different. She was actually afraid to hug him.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" she demanded.

"I know this isn't the best time…" Leo sighed. "But we got a lead last night and I need to follow through…"

"Right…Just doing your job, eh?"

Leo didn't answer her question. "The gun Gordon—Dan…" He sighed. "The gun he used to shoot me turned up last—"

"Wait, what?"

Leo groaned. He forgot he'd never told her it was Dan who had shot him.

Piper started shaking. "It—It was…_Dan_?…who shot you? _Dan_? Oh my God…Oh…my God…" She held one hand over her heart while she backed up a couple of steps and tried to catch her breath. "Why?" she whispered, trembling.

Leo stepped forward and put his hand on Piper's arm to steady her.

"Why—Why me? Oh my God…" Piper suddenly fell forward into Leo's arms, hugging him tightly as she cried. "God, I wish it would all go back to normal," she sobbed.

Leo was taken aback at first, stunned. He soon regained his composure and wrapped his arms around her. She pulled back slightly to run her hand over his chest, tracing a circle over the spot she knew the bullet wound was.

"I…I had no idea…" Piper whispered. "This is all too much…" she cried, burying her head in his chest again. "I mean…Dan dying…He was…He was involved with the mob? And—And he shot you…I had no idea," she choked out. "I'm sorry."

"You? Why?" Leo asked quietly, pulling away from her to look into her red eyes and gently push some of her tear-dampened hair from her face.

"I—" Piper sniffled. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you then. When…When Dan…" She closed her eyes. "When Dan shot you."

Leo shook his head slightly. "You had every right—"

Piper fell back into Leo's arms and cried. It didn't matter then that there would be awkwardness each time they spoke to each other from then on, she just needed to cry and she needed to be held.

No, it was more than that…

She needed Leo to hold her.

Piper pulled away. This wasn't right. She stumbled back a couple steps. "I—I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…This—I have to go…" She turned and ran off to her sister's car.

Leo sighed deeply. "Okay, fine…I'll ask tomorrow…" he said to himself.

* * *

Piper slammed the front door shut. Prue and Phoebe were already inside and hanging up their coats. Piper threw her coat in the closet without bothering to hang it up. She sighed deeply.

"Piper…" Phoebe started, not sure what to say.

"Don't!" Piper snapped. She headed for the staircase. Prue and Phoebe followed her from a few feet behind.

"Piper, it's _okay_."

She stopped at the top of the stairs and whirled around to stare at her sisters. "No it's _not_! It's not okay!" she yelled, tears blurring her vision and wetting her cheeks. "It's not okay!"

"You can grieve Piper. It's natural. You need to grieve," Prue tried to soothe her.

"Not with him!"

Prue blinked. She exchanged a worried glance with Phoebe.

"What?"

Piper looked shocked. "You…didn't see?"

Phoebe and Prue shook their heads. "See what?"

Piper covered her face in her hands. "I hugged Leo," she muttered, her voice muffled. She dropped her hands.

"What?"

"I hugged Leo! I hugged him and cried."

Her sisters were the ones looking shocked now.

"That's right, I fell right into his arms and cried!" With that, Piper stomped down the hallway and into her room. She slammed the door.

Phoebe and Prue hadn't moved. They exchanged another glance then ran off after Piper. They knocked on her door.

"Piper?" Phoebe asked quietly.

"Go away!"

"Piper…It's okay. We're here for you, you know."

There was some silence before Piper's next words. "…It was Dan."

Prue looked at Phoebe, who shrugged.

"What was Dan, Honey?" Phoebe asked.

"It was Dan who shot Leo."

"What?"

"All those years ago! I had a dream about it last night, and then Leo accidentally told me that it was Dan! He never told me! It was _Dan_!"

Prue sighed and leaned against the door. "Piper, please let us in."

There was a long pause before the door handle turned. Prue stood up straight. The door opened slowly, revealing a red-eyed, crying Piper. She sniffled.

Prue and Phoebe's faces softened. "Piper…" Prue reached out.

Piper stepped back, away from her sister's hand. "I still love him," she said quietly.

"Who?"

"Leo. I still love Leo." With that, she closed the door in her sisters' faces.

* * *

**Ooh...I wonder what will happen next...No, really, I'm curious! lol**

**Piper's going to have to confront Leo in the next chapter, and I think I can get the black rose into the next chapter, too. Don't forget to drop a review! I know none of you probably have anything to say, but still...Pwease? I do love them!**


	5. Broken Pictures, Confused Hearts

**Hey, sorry this took so long. I tried to post this chapter and instead I got kicked offline! Now I'm sick, or at least coming down with something, but I'm still writing. Mom's making me stay home this weekend so I'll be able to write all weekend. I've started writing this new fic and I'm almost finished with a different one. When I finish I'll post it (hopefully without delays, since it'll be done) and then...well...We'll jump off that bridge into icy cold waters when we get there...**

**For now, read and review! **

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**charmedmel32: **And the OTHER award goes to...YOU! AGAIN AGAIN! yeah, Dan shot Leo, and he didn't tell her. A couple other people mentioned that, too. I'm glad he's dead. (Dan, not Leo.) Thanks! I'm glad you think I'm—I mean...My STORY is great...

**piperfairy: **I don't think you've reviewed, no. There's gonna be some conflict between Piper and Leo. After all, it takes two to tango. You can't have a relationship with just one person in love. Leo's gotta be in on it too.

**Michelle:** How can't you believe Piper still loved Leo? They are MEANT TO BE! I'll get Leo in on the deal, too, and then...you'll see...

**OTHCharmedHPFreak: **Huh?

**Linn-LovesPiperLeo:** Um...You're welcome for killing him!

**piper+leo4eva:** Well of course she still loves Leo! And I saw your phone on the counter in my kitchen. I'll ship it to you, K? K.

**GeminiPiper: **Ask and you shall receive! Maybe...Okay, it depends on what you ask about!

**AbbeyT: **He didn't tell her because...Uh...Well, BECAUSE! Yeah, that's why!

**kk241289: **Yup, Dan shot Leo. I'm not sure why they didn't arrest him...but then again, why not? It's my fic!

**winter blaze:** interesting, huh? Interesting is good, right?

**livingwyatt: **WOW, SUGAR HIGH? NO KIDDING! OMG! GUESS WHO'S ON A SUGAR HIGH NOW!

**lolalex: **Thanks, I'm glad you love it!

**scullymulder: **Ha, your life's been catching up with you, too? It's okay, at least you're reviewing now! And yay! Yeah! She still loves Leo!

**LeOaNdPiPeR4eVeR: **Well of course there's still hope! There's always hope for Piper and Leo with me!

**Chub: **Nope, it won't be that simple. They have some emotions to sort out first and then we still have to find out who killed Dan. And then...Never mind, you'll find out later.

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Chapter 5 - Broken Pictures, Confused Hearts

Leo slammed his office door shut and went straight to his desk. He sat in the chair with a Huff", crossed his arms on the desk, and put his head in them. He sighed deeply. He should never have gone to the funeral.

There was a quiet knock on his door. A slender woman about his age with blonde hair up in a bun opened it a little and poked her head through the opening. She peered at Leo through her glasses. "Leo…?"

He looked up. "Jessica…" he said, glancing around his office almost nervously. He straightened a couple of paper piles.

She smiled and walked into the office, closing the door behind her. She locked it. She was carrying a clipboard with some papers on it with her, and a pen was stuck behind her ear.

"What's wrong?" she asked, moving up to him. She knelt beside him, her black mini skirt stretching tight.

He looked at her. After a few seconds, he kissed her. She tried to deepen the kiss but he pulled away roughly. She looked taken aback.

"My ex-girlfriend."

"Melissa? What about her?"

He shook his head. "No, not her. Piper."

Jessica glanced briefly at the picture Leo was staring at on his desk. She knew of Piper, the girlfriend he'd been trying to forget. And he almost forgot about her, until she came back into his life with Gordon's case. Jessica knew all about it. Leo told her.

She looked at the picture again. It wasn't a picture of Piper, but a picture of roses. Black roses. She wasn't sure what meaning they held, but she knew it was important to Leo and to Piper. She never questioned them.

Jessica had a feeling she and Leo's office relationship was coming to an end.

"I can't see you anymore, Jess."

She nodded. "I know."

He looked away from the picture at her. "I'm sorry."

Jessica grinned. "You still love her."

He crinkled his nose. "No I don't."

She laughed. "You do." She stood up and patted his shoulder. They were both looking at the picture of black roses. "Stop denying it. You need to work things out with her," she said.

"You're crazy, Jessica."

She shrugged. "So? If I remember correctly, someone once told me that it was my best quality…"

"No, I remember telling you that your ass was your best quality."

She giggled. "I never said it was you who said it, but thanks."

"…I'm serious. We have to break up." He wasn't making eye contact with her.

"I know. You're making this too hard."

"Well here," he said, handing her some papers. "Copy these and fax them to Mark Turner."

She gave him an annoyed smile.

* * *

"What do you mean you 'still love Leo'?" 

"It means I still love Leo! I still love him! I never didn't!"

"Piper, you're just confused. You're hurting because of Dan…"

"No! I mean, yes, but…I love Dan. No, I _loved_ him. I love Leo now. I never stopped loving him. I—I mean, why did we break up anyway?"

Piper's sisters didn't answer.

"_Exactly_!"

"Piper…" Prue started.

She wasn't listening. "…But it'll never work."

"What?"

"Me and Leo! It'll never work! He's always working and he's gone and he's out of the house…It'll never work…"

"Piper." Phoebe put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Piper, listen to me. You are going nuts. You need to grieve right now. For Dan."

Piper wrenched away. "Why? Why should I grieve for him? He deserved what he got!"

"_Piper_!"

"No! Don't 'Piper' me! He deserved what he got for shooting Leo! He tried to kill Leo! Why should I grieve for him?…Oh, God…That was horrible of me…I should never…"

"Piper, I think you're going manic-depressive. Your emotions are all out of whack. You need to lie down…"

Prue and Phoebe led Piper to her room and laid her down. She couldn't seem to decide whether to grieve for Dan or go see Leo. She wasn't sure if she and Leo should try to get back together or not. She wasn't sure if Dan deserved her tears.

But she was positive that she still loved Leo.

* * *

"You broke up with Jessica?" Jacob asked, shocked. 

"Yeah."

"But _Jessica_? The one with the ass?"

"Yes!"

Jake groaned. "I liked her."

Leo laughed. "You're married."

"So? I can't look at someone else's ass now and then?"

Leo gave his brother a strange look.

"What? Oh, I see. You broke up with her because of Piper."

"Piper? No, I—"

"Ah, sure ya did. Everyone knows you still love her."

"No I don't—"

"Ah, sure ya do."

"I don't!"

Jake shrugged. "Whatever. Ruin your own damn life."

Leo sighed. "Sorry. I just…"

"You love her. Just admit it."

"I don't love her. I _loved_ her. We didn't exactly break up on the nicest terms."

Jake nodded. "Right…"

"And she's…grieving…"

"Right…"

"So there's just no way that we…"

Jake laughed. "Are you talking about getting back together with her? Jeez, I just wanted you to admit you loved her. Now it's obvious."

* * *

Piper knocked on Leo's office door the next day. He opened the door, expecting to see Jessica or Mark Turner but instead seeing her. She was crying. 

"Piper…"

She sniffled.

He took her in his arms and brought her into his office. He closed the door with one hand and led her to his desk. He helped her up to sit on the desk and she started crying even harder. He pulled away long enough to go back and lock the office door but he returned to her and she fell into his arms again.

He thought she was crying about Dan, so when she wrapped her arms around his neck, he whispered to her, "It'll be okay, Piper. I promise. I know it's a lot to handle, but I promise you'll be okay…"

Piper shook her head but didn't pull back. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice muffled.

Leo pulled back. "What?" He was standing in front of her and she was sitting on his desk, her legs dangling. He stared into her eyes. "Why are you sorry?"

Her tears seemed to be drying up slowly. "I'm sorry we broke up."

He wasn't prepared for that one. "What?"

"I'm sorry we broke up," Piper repeated.

"Piper…This isn't something we should be talking about." He took a couple of steps backward.

Piper got off the desk and moved toward him. Her tears were gone but her eyes were still red. "I was…thinking…the other day…" she started.

Leo listened silently.

"I realized something…" She took in a deep breath. "I still love you."

He was stunned. He opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a strangled gasp for air.

"Actually, I never _stopped_ loving you…" Piper continued.

He was still silent. She'd just opened up a floodgate of emotions inside of him. She had no idea the effect of her words. He stared into her eyes.

"I love you," she whispered.

He kissed her. He couldn't think of anything else to do. The kiss didn't stay simple for long, and soon they were locked in a passionate embrace, letting out long pent-up emotions.

He broke the kiss to move to her neck. He kissed her neck and nipped at her ear, pleased with her reaction. Her knees shuddered and he had to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her steady. He moved back to her lips and kissed her again. His hand slid down her shoulder, taking the strap of her tank top with it. Piper twisted away from him.

"Mmm, no, this isn't right," she said.

He didn't say anything, knowing she was right.

She took a step back. "I'm sorry. This is just…" She kissed him softly, then moved toward the door. She unlocked it, opened it, and left without looking back.

Leo closed the door. He leaned against it, his eyes closed, breathing heavily. He walked to his chair behind his desk and fell into it, angry. He looked at the picture of black roses on his desk, the only picture on he had on it. His hand came out and slapped the picture and frame off of his desk. It fell to the floor with a crash.

Why didn't he just say it? It was just three simple words, he could have said them right back to her. He was ready to, he could have.

He should have.

* * *

Piper came into the manor and ran straight to her room. She'd been stupid to think that she could barge into his office, tell him that she still loved him, and then _leave_. What was she expecting from him? What did she want? 

She lay on her bed for a long time, crying silently. She looked up at a picture frame on the table beside her bed. In the frame was a picture of a bouquet of black roses, her favorite flower.

Anytime there was some sort of occasion, as far as she could remember back, she would get a black rose. When she was in school plays or concerts for band or show choir, her mother would buy her a single black rose. After she died, it was Piper's grandmother who would buy her a rose. When Grams died, Piper stopped getting the black roses.

Then she met Leo. One night they were talking about nothing in particular, sitting in her living room on the couch. They hadn't been dating for long. Piper mentioned how much she loved roses, and Leo asked her what color.

"Black," she'd said simply, then told him her story about how she would get one from her mother or Grams.

From then on, whenever he showed up at her door to take her out to dinner, he had a black rose with him. They were the most expensive of roses, and she was always grateful. On their anniversaries, he bought her an entire bouquet of them. He would buy her a black rose as a thank you or an apology.

They both had a picture of the roses with them, she remembered. She'd seen the picture on his desk earlier. It was the same as the picture on her table. She picked it up and stared at it for a long time. After a moment, her anger and pain built up and she threw the picture at the wall. It shattered.

* * *

**So whaddaya think? Not _too _crappy, I hope...So that explains the roses, and they're not gone yet. And I'll have Piper and Leo confront each other again, then we've got bigger problems. Like...What about the guys who killed Dan? (hint hint to future chapters)**

**Review, I so love it!**


	6. Black Roses

**This is a short chapter. I know, that's wrong since I made you wait so long, but I think that where I stopped was a good place to stop. It's kinda a filler chapter, but the story actually needs this chapter. It's a shortie but an...importantie...Right...**

* * *

_charmedmel32: You're unreal. I hope you don't think I'm joking about you being first because I'm not kidding! I'm working on Payback, but I've hit a bump in the road. Actually...an endless pit. lol. And he didn't go after her because he was too stunned, give the guy a little credit! j/k_

_scullymulder: Poor Piper and Leo, w/e! lol, j/k_

_AbbeyT: He is in denial, isn't he? Um...I'm glad you're glad Dan is dead! Yay! And your questions about Leo saying it back...You'll see._

_halli-halliwell: Thanks!_

_winter blaze: Yeah, I knew you guys were confused about the roses. It makes sense now? Good, because I'm not done with them in this story, not yet._

_Jenna Sabina: Huh?_

_Chub: Thanks, there were lots of feelings in that chapter, and they've gotta confront each other in the next...which would be this chapter!_

_piperfairy: I liked that part, too, when they threw the pictures._

_piperleo4eva: Potential? Really? Wow, thanks! AND WHERE THE HELL IS MILAN? It in kk241289's fic, Bound By Law, and I have no freakin' clue where it is! Hmm...I should look it up...Is it in Italy? Oh, and my phone falls under my bed, too. And so does my remote, and my pillow, and movies, and pens..._

_PunkRokPixie: lol, I left ya hangin'! Glad you love the fact that Dan's dead, that seems to be the mutual reaction around here..._

_OTHCharmedHPFreak: cooleo! review again! lol_

_GeminiPiper : I'm glad you lo-ho-loved that chappy! I thought of the black roses in one of those sudden idea bursts that you hear about. I thought they were myths until then. It was two in the morning and I shot up in bed and yelled, "BLACK ROSES!" lol, j/k. The idea kinda came to me partly from the song "Black Velvet". I don't know who sings it. And I know you would never steal my idea, and I would never steal yours! Let's share!  
"Come on, people, now! Smile on your brother! Everybody get together, try to love one another right now..." Another song, but that's all I know._

_piperandleoeva: Thanks!_

_kk241289: Yeah, I noticed that, too. I kinda wrote her a little out of character, but she should be confused. Her finance's dead and she loves her ex._

_neim: (from chapter 3) I love the name Emma, and I was going to get a golden retriever named Emma, but that plan fell through. It's just one of my favorite names. If I have little children in any of my fics, I usually name them Melinda, Emma, or Brooke, if they're girls, that is. BTW, there's no connection to anyone in the show. I'm sure there's been an Emma as like an innocent or something, and I know they used the name Brooke, but that's all. Well, and Melinda is from the show, too._

_neim: (from chapter 4) I'm glad you loved it!_

_neim: (from chapter 5) I tried to keep Jake's personality the same as I have him in Payback, where he also plays Leo's younger brother, but he's not married or anything. I'm glad you loved the chapter, I loved it too. The rose idea just...came to me._

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The doorbell rang, paused, and rang again. Piper, who was upstairs blow-drying her hair, didn't hear it, but Prue ran from her room downstairs to get it. She opened the door and smiled when she saw Leo. He looked dressed for work, but he was holding a single black rose between two fingers in his right hand.

"I'm assuming that's not for me…" Prue said, smiling.

He barely returned the smile. "Piper and I…had an…altercation…"

Prue's smile grew and she nodded. "I know."

"She home? Her car is here."

"Yeah, she's upstairs."

Prue opened the door wider and stepped aside for Leo to come in. She closed the door behind him. Leo made his way up the stairs and down the hall. As soon as he was out of sight, Prue smiled knowingly, shook her head, and went into the living room, where she saw Phoebe.

"Hey, was that Leo?"

"Yeah."

"Came to work things out with Piper, I'm guessing…" Phoebe turned back around to the television.

Prue sat beside her sister on the couch. "I dunno…Maybe."

Leo knocked quietly on Piper's bedroom door, but he didn't hear an answer. He _did_ hear a blow-dryer that was on, so he assumed she didn't hear. He opened the door slowly and peered inside her room. Her bathroom door was open slightly, and the light was on, but the light in her bedroom was off.

As Leo walked inside Piper's bedroom, memories flooded his mind. He closed the door behind him and turned to glance at her bed, dresser, desk…Everything brought memories back. She'd moved the dresser, and there was a new wreath above her desk. There was no bouquet of black roses that she normally had on her bedstand, however, and the picture of the roses was in a broken frame.

He turned his attention back to the bathroom door. The blow-dryer was still on. He walked up to the door and pushed it open slowly. Piper's back was to him, and she was humming something as she dried her hair.

She turned the blow-dryer off, turned around, and jumped when she saw Leo. She set the blow-dryer on the sink counter and held one hand over her heart.

"God, you scared me…"

She noticed the rose. Her eyes met his. He hadn't said a word, and he didn't need to. She nodded toward the flower with a look that said, "For me?"

He handed the rose to her. She took the thorn-free stem in both hands and held it to her nose for a seconds, breathing in the scent. Then she lowered the flower and looked up at Leo.

"This doesn't fix it."

He nodded slightly and finally spoke. "I know. I just hope it'll help."

There was a stretch of uncomfortable silence. They moved into the middle of her bedroom.

"Look, Piper…A couple days ago…When you came into my office…"

Her cheeks flushed.

"I know you were…confused…and…lost…So…Should I just…forget it?"

She looked up. "What?"

"What you said, in my office. When I…kissed you…"

She shook her head slightly. "No."

"…No?"

"No, I don't want you to forget any of it. I won't." She turned to set the rose on her dresser. "And I'll say it again…" She moved closer to him.

"Piper…You don't know what you're doing…"

"I know what I'm doing."

"Piper…"

She pulled him down and kissed him. He couldn't pull away, he didn't want to. All he could do was return the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, he didn't step back.

"I love you," Piper breathed.

He knew that was his cue. He knew he should say it…He should just say the words…_Say the damn words!_ He moved his head down slightly to rest his forehead on hers. They both closed their eyes, but Piper opened hers to watch him. "I can't," he whispered. He finally opened his eyes and stepped back.

"What?"

He shook his head. "I can't…I…I thought I could. I thought I could just say it to you, but I can't. You're too vulnerable right now…These things…Everything you're feeling…You're in shock, from Dan's murder."

Piper shook her head. "No. No, it's not that!"

"No, Piper, trust me. This—People go through this when they lose someone. I see this everyday at work—"

"Screw your work, I love you!"

"No."

"No?"

"Just forget it, I should never have come here…"

Leo turned to leave. Piper grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her. She kissed him deeply. He didn't even try to pull away. The emotions ripping through him were almost unbearable. He loved her, God knows he did. She knew it, too. She just wanted to hear it.

But he didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to go back to a failing relationship, not again.

But he didn't break the kiss. And when she reached up to take his shirt off he helped. He knew it was wrong, it was so wrong.

But it was just right. It was exactly what they both needed.

His hand slid down her shoulder, taking the camisole strap with it. She pulled it over her head, exposing herself to him.

He wanted to pull away, make her realize that it was wrong. But he couldn't. He wanted and needed this as much as she did. So he didn't pull away when she took off her shirt.

And he didn't pull away when they fell on her bed.


End file.
